NBA report Nuggets take bite out of OKC

Friday

(TNS)—Donning sunglasses and a black hoodie, Will Barton attempted to articulate the collective feeling currently brewing inside the Denver Nuggets’ locker room.

Pick a buzzword, any buzzword. Confidence? Belief? Maturity?

The Nuggets’ latest example of those intangibles came Thursday night, when they closed out a wild 102-94 over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Pepsi Center and in their national television debut.

“A nail-biter coming down to the end — I feel like we dropped a lot of those games last year,” Barton said. “This year it’s a different vibe. It’s a different energy. I don’t feel like we’re ever going to lose those types of games right now, and that’s a good feeling to have.”

Barton’s coach senses something, too. Minutes earlier, Michael Malone had publicly proclaimed that this is the type of game the Nuggets would have lost in 2016-17. It was actually the second time the coach had offered such comments in a week, mirroring his postgame address after last Friday’s one-point win over the Miami Heat.

Here are the palpable results: Denver has won six of its last eight games, with one of those defeats coming to the mighty Golden State Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Nuggets are 4-1 on their season-long six-game homestand heading into Saturday’s game against the upstart Orlando Magic. And they took Game 1 against their much-hyped division rival, after dropping all four meetings against the Thunder last season.

Denver (7-5) clinched the win by outscoring Oklahoma City 27-19 in the fourth quarter, using a 9-0 run to seize the lead and then punching back anytime the Thunder seemed to regain momentum.

When former Denver star Carmelo Anthony, who matched his season high with 28 points, nailed a 15-foot jumper and pull-up 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to cut Denver’s lead to 91-87, Nuggets backup point guard Emmanuel Mudiay answered with a reverse layup with 4:20 to play.

When reigning MVP Russell Westbrook drilled a 3 to reduce the Nuggets’ advantage to 93-90 less than two minutes later, Paul Millsap was fouled on a made off-balance jumper and added the free throw.

When a Mudiay layup attempt fell off the rim with less than a minute to play, Nikola Jokic tipped the ball in to push Denver’s lead 100-92 and all but seal the victory.

“What I liked in that fourth quarter (is) we didn’t play not to lose,” Malone said. “We stayed aggressive. We kept pressure on them, and that’s really big. Because I think when you get tentative down the stretch, that’s when things kind of fall apart.”

Denver’s defensive physicality limited Westbrook to 6-of-22 shooting and fellow All-Star Paul George to one field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets cleaned up their woes on the glass, giving up five offensive rebounds .

in the second half after surrendering 13 (and 21 second-chance points) before intermission. And the Nuggets’ bench anchored the victory, providing 49 points.

Mudiay was described by his coach as the game’s MVP, scoring 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and adding seven rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes. Mason Plumlee scored 11 of his season-high 13 points in the first half, while Barton chipped in with 13 points and four assists. That group keyed the Nuggets’ second-quarter spurt, using a 20-9 run to flip an 11-point deficit into a tie game. Mudiay and Barton were on the floor to close the contest.

“We take a lot of pride in that — going out there and either holding down the lead for the starters or pushing it up or getting us back into the game,” Barton said. “You never know who’s gonna have big nights, but that’s the luxury we have with this team.”

Less than a month ago, the Nuggets blew a double-digit lead in a season-opening loss at Utah. Turnovers were their downfall in a tight loss to Washington, a game that will also be remembered for Jokic bumping Wizards coach Scott Brooks. They completed an uneven 2-2 East Coast road trip, with wins against the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets bookended by lackluster efforts against the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks.

But since then, Denver has blown out a playoff staple in the Toronto Raptors. Jokic went off for a career-high 41 points in a rematch against the Nets. And the Nuggets clinched down-to-the wire victories against the Heat and Thunder.

This young core is getting more comfortable in tight situations, fourth-year shooting guard Gary Harris said. Millsap’s veteran presence has been crucial, filling out Thursday’s box score with seven rebounds and five assists and tying his career high with six blocks despite going 6-of-17 from the floor.

Malone would not go as far as calling Thursday a “statement” win. The coach recognizes this Thunder team is 4-7 and still finding its footing after adding Anthony and George via offseason trades. Denver is just 12 games into the season.

But this win came against the division rival that dashed the Nuggets’ playoff hopes last season. Against the Western Conference’s much-hyped new “Super Team.” Against the opponent Denver simply could not beat last season.

Confidence? Belief? Maturity?

The Nuggets sense something is currently brewing inside their locker room.

“We’re growing up,” Barton said. “It’s just a different feeling. I feel like guys just want to win. I feel everyone’s sacrificing for the team, and hopefully we keep it up.”

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